


Numb, but I Felt You

by ChaoticBabe



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-10 22:56:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18670054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticBabe/pseuds/ChaoticBabe
Summary: A job goes wrong, and Kate gets hurt. It's the start of a turning point in their relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a prompt from Anon that morphed into something else.  
> AU: Seth never starts with the drugs, they both make it out of mexico and continue putting down scores together.

Kate comes to the conclusion as she and Seth run for the back door in adrenaline fueled terror, that the next time she lays eyes on Oliver she’s going to punch him in his pretty boy face.

This was all his fault.

He had turned a good score sour, the job had been going so smoothly too, not the kind of smooth were you start to think it’s too easy, no it was just a well made plan put into action. Seth and her had been forced to add a man to the job when it had become obvious two people just weren’t going to cut it.

A two weeks back Seth found a club that would be a good place to hit up, the money they would make from it would last them years, that’s not to mention the money they had saved up since leaving mexico six months ago. The only real problem was it was a little too popular of a scene to manage to scope out and pull the job between the two of them. Which was when Seth got in contact with some his old buddies and pulled in Oliver.

Apparently they had worked together before, but from Seth said it was obvious he wasn’t overly fond of the guy. Kate trusted Seth enough to follow his lead on that, but kept a polite facade up with him all the same, they did have to work with one enough after all, no reason to go insulting him. All the guy had to do was scope out the back all week, watch who came and went, make sure there wasn’t any surprises. After a full week of planning and watching they made their move.

And everything on Seth’s and Kate’s end really was going well, they had the bags of money in hand, people really should deposit the cash more than once a week at the bank, it’s a shame that Oliver had obviously slacked on the job, slacked enough to not notice on Wednesday the local gang leader not only came out to play but came to collect a protection fee.

Shit hit the fan fast.

Getting caught red handed by a gang leader tends to do that.

Seth swore under his breath, and pulled his gun.

Things get blurry at that point, everyone started firing off shot after shot.

One of the security guys definitely wasn’t going to make it, and few others had taken some bullets.

When Seth had cleared a path, he grabbed her hand and took off.

Kate was no more than a step behind them the whole way out.

Bursting through the backdoor with it’s glowing neon light felt like crossing the finish line. She could almost taste the relief.

They were a few feet from the car pre-parked for optimal get away speed as Seth liked to put it, when the metallic clank of the clubs backdoor opening again reached her ears.

Hand still firmly grasping Seth’s as he’s opening the door to throw the bags in, she turns her head to see the threat behind them.

There was a loud bang, and Kate could see the man, someone from the gang she thinks, holding his gun

There’s a shout behind her, but the words are lost on her. .

At first Kate doesn’t feel a thing, her mind can’t manage to put the puzzle pieces together.

The gun was aimed at her.

It was fired.

In a stilted motion as if to somehow delay the inevitable catch up of her brain to reality, she looks down. Her skin tight light blue dress she wore to blend in with the crowds, she picked this dress because Seth couldn’t take his eyes off her in it, is quickly blooming red from her right side.  

 

Oh, _oh_ she was Shot.

 

Just like that the pain hits.

 

Jolts of it running up and down her side. Her hands are suddenly free of both Seth’s and the bags of money, but they feel heavy, clumsy, as she tries to press against the wound.

She’s not really surprised. It was always a possibility. Just one she tried to never think about. She’d been shot. Fuck.

It’s as if the world has gone silent. Then there’s a roaring in her ears, and everything is getting dark.

Someone’s screaming.

Losing balance she stumbles back, then to her knees. There’s a gun going off.

Someone’s arms are around her, but she doesn’t know who, everything’s gone dark, dark, dark. But it still really fucking hurts.

Distantly she thinks, she really hopes that if she dies then Olivier does too, after all it’s not looking like she’s going to get that punch in.

Then there’s nothing

* * *

When she next wakes everything is pleasantly fuzzy.

Kate takes a moment to enjoy that, it’s a nice feeling. Eventually she forces herself to open her eyes, slowly adjusting to the light. She’s in a bed.

She kinda just wants to close her eyes and go back to sleep, after all that’s what beds are for.

Then she goes to turn on her side to do just that, and

“Mother fucker.” Pain crawls all over her, the fun fuzzy feeling is pushed away buy it.

Her eyes go wide, pushing back sheets to see she’s wearing an oversize tee. Pulling it up to get a good look at white bandages wrapped around her lower abdominal area.

She was shot. It all comes rushing back, the botched job, and being so close to getting away anyways, but Seth and her weren’t quick enough.

Oh god Seth. What happened to Seth?

“SETH!” It hurts to yell but she doesn’t know what else to do, she needs to find seth.

Within moments a door she hadn’t bothered to notice yet, slams against the wall with the force its been thrown open, only for Seth to come rushing through.

“Kate.”

He’s beside her just like that. Eyes blown wide, face lined with tension. One hand hovering over her face, looking for all the world as if he’s afraid to touch her, like it dispel the illusion of her being alive and awake.

“Seth, you’re okay.” her mouth feels dry but getting the words out after screaming is easy enough, and she’s too relieved to see him to be too bothered by anything.

He lets out a bitter bark of a laugh, “I’m okay?” He’s shaking his head, and looking closer he looks tired. “You were..You were shot Kate. And you’re asking if I’m _okay_?” his voice catches at the end.

Reaching up with her good side she rest her hand on the side of his face, Seth leans in closing his eyes, his own hand coming up to grasp the back of hers. “I suppose I am.”

“You really scared me there princess.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes.”

His lips lift as if he’s trying to smile, but just can’t make his muscles work. Slowly he opens his eyes, steadily gazing down at her.

In a movement that whatever painkillers he has her on, makes it hard to see as more than a blur, he leans down and kisses her. Firmly he presses his lips against her own, the surprise of the action wears off for her to kiss him back, but only for a moment before pulls all away. Sitting just as he was before he move.

“Seth?”

He takes in a breath so deep his whole must expand to hold it. “After you were shot, I killed the guy who got you.”

The change in mood is like whiplash.

They’ve never kissed before, sure they teased, looked, and longed at least on her part but neither of them has ever done a thing about it. She’s been too afraid of ruining what they have.

Now he’s going to skip right over it.

He’s still staring intently at her though, so she doesn’t know what to make of it, and she’s more than a little curious about what happened. She’s too tired to fight and trying to get Seth to talk about something he doesn’t want to _always_ leads to a fight. It will just have to be addressed when he can’t run away so easily.

“You did?”

“Of course I did. He fucking shot you, I thought you were-” He cuts himself off. Looking down to her bandages. He begins to look them over as he starts talking again. “Might have emptied the rest of the gun in him. You had gone to your knees before I was sure he was down. Picked you up. Put you in the back, tried to stop the bleeding but there was just so much, Kate.”

Yeah that’s one thing that was clear, the blood just kept coming.  

Now though she’s all bandaged up, bandages that Seth is staring unseeingly at. It must have been a sight to see.

Coming back to himself, his left starts to absentmindedly stroke along her side above the wound. “The bullet thankfully went clean through. Took you to a twenty four hour Vet, had him fix you up. Got some meds.” Both of Kate’s eyebrows raise at that.

Seth actually grins at that, “Don’t worry, he was well compensated.”

Well that’s all she can ask for.

“Thank god were in america, can you imagine trying to find an all hours vet in Mexico.”

“Better luck winning the lottery.”

“So I’ll live, huh. Sucks for you.” Kate's humor has gotten darker since the Titty Twister. More often than not Seth’s is too. This is not one of those times. “No way in hell are you getting away from me that easily partner.”

“I’ll be sure to remind you of that when you next complain I take too long in the shower.” His shoulders fall some, a light smirk graces his face. “I have no doubt you will.”

“Is that all? Where are we by the way?”

 

He looks a away from her then. That can’t be good.

 

“It’s been almost two days since then, you got an infection before doc could stitch you up. The medicine did its job. We’re in a hotel two hours away from that shit show.”

 

She really almost died. She knew that of course but it’s starting to hit home. It was really close. She can feel her eyes start to burn, nose tingling, sure signs any moment now she’s going to burst into tear. She really doesn’t want to do that, but already her eyes are watering up. She almost died. The tears start to stream down her face.

 

“Fuck, Kate did I hurt you?” Seth jumps off the bed ironically jolting her wound causing her to cry harder. Seth’s mumbling and curing all the while holding his hand in the air out in front of him.

 

“I.Almost.Died.” She sobs between each word.

 

Suddenly Seth is there again, brushing her no doubt greasy hair back, mumbling soothing nothings into her temple.

Once the sobs stop, the tears slowly trickle off. “I’m tired.”

“Go to sleep princess you need your rest.”

“Stay with me.”

There’s a pause before he says. “If that’s what you want.”

“Stay Seth.”

He moves to get under the covers, laying on his side next to her. Draping an arm just under her breast, Kate moves her head to rest under his chin.

In the morning she'll deal with what to make of him kissing her, figure out all the details of that night he left out in some attempt to spare her, and she still wants to bash Oliver's face in if he's still around. But, now she's tired, and Seth is so warm.

It feels safe and loving. She manages to whisper a good night, before she’s dead to the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings come out into the open.

For three days Kate slept on and off sporadically.

 

She woke up after the first time to Seth still laying next to her in bed. The medicine for the pain had worn off sometime as they slept. Reluctantly seeing the still dark circles under his eyes she woke him asking for some more, before he helped her slowly make her way to the shower. By then she felt as gross as she ever had, Seth had did a good job cleaning the blood off of her initially but she’d suffered a fever since. The shower was much needed.

Unfortunately getting clean took most of the energy right out of her, besides drinking a glass of water Seth handed her, she simply went back to sleep. It was miserable feeling so weak. It was amazing how even with all the rest, she was still tired whenever she was awake.

That became her routine for the next few days.

Sleep, eat, sleep, bath, talk to Seth some, and sleep again.

Seth had to be repeatedly assured she'd be fine on her own for a few hours, promising to call should she wake and need anything, even when he finally left he still appeared reluctant. On the third day, after who knows how many hours of sleep, she awoke in the evening to him coming in the door with blood staining his white shirt, knuckles bloody and bruised.

When she got worked up over it, he simply smiled in a way he probably thought was disarming but on set her on edge. He just had a small disagreement down the street you see, nothing to worry about Kate, waving it off like nothing happen, but his eyes were curiously flat for it to be something as simple as Seth’s attitude rubbing someone the wrong way. Seth was gifted at lying through his teeth.

Like the kiss from the previous night she let it go for the time. 

Not to say it hadn't been running through her mind, it had been plenty.

Kate wanted for it to happen again, that was for sure.

She had come to terms with her feelings towards Seth sometime after leaving Mexico. It just didn’t seem like they would ever be returned, so this sudden turn of events had her world in a spin. The thing was Seth seemed to want to forget all about it. But every night without fail he slipped into bed with her after the first night, the spare bed in the room remaining empty.

They never said anything about it.

Kate was sick of not talking about anything of importance.

After the three days of rest, Seth packed them up, deciding it was time to move on. It was unlikely they would be tracked to where they were now, but paranoia was an old friend of his and had kept them safe this far so she didn't argue it. 

She’s pretty sure Seth will want to get a couple hours away from where they are, maybe make their way to another state all together. 

She asks where they're headed, only for him to blow her off, giving her some bull about wherever the road takes them.

He keeps checking the rear view mirror, it's the first time it occurs to her they might be running from something other than Seth's general rule of never staying in one place too long.

Her eyes glance over to his vividly colored knuckles, she wants to ask about how it happened again. She's sick of the lies though. 

The car quickly grows tense with silence, to many secrets and unsaid words hanging between.

She despises it.

They just keep driving

 

* * *

They end up stopping a place called the Rose Inn, it's private enough, and they’ve put enough miles between them and the last city to let Seth rest easy.

When Seth asks for the room he request only one bed.

It makes sense they’ve been sharing the past several days.

They go about dropping their bags in the room, Kate’s in a daze when Seth appears at her side, wrapping and arm around her waist. “You look kinda pale, want me to get us something to eat?” Till now she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Nodding her head in reply, Seth's already moving across the room.

“There's a burger joint just around the block, I’ll be back in few.” He’s out the door before she can ask if he’ll get her a lemonade.

Figuring he'll be a while, Kate lays back on the bed, she feels exhausted from the car ride. 

Turns out Silence is deafening after all, or at least an emotionally loaded bomb. It's ticking away. Any minute now it'll blow up in their faces.

She hadn't let herself think about it too much then, not with Seth sitting next to her. Now alone, her mind wanders.

While she has no doubt Seth will always run his mouth off no matter the situation, it just doesn’t add up. He had left early in the morning yesterday, after making sure she had plenty of food for the day, and didn't get back till almost dusk. She'd even taken a long nap only to wake to find him still gone, wasn’t till waking from a soft doze in the evening that he'd showed up.

Seth had been gone all day.

Ever since she got shot he had been a mother hen when it came to her, not wanting to leave her for more than an hour at a time.

It didn’t make sense. 

Seth comes back a few minutes later with the food, putting it on the table next to the window. Kate pulls herself up off the bed to walk over to him.

He's started talking about how he wants to head to his Uncles tomorrow, stay there till her wound fully heals. But Kate's barely paying attention, she's set her self on war path looking for answers, careful to stand in front of the door before she starts speaking. 

“What happen the other day? You came back with more bruises than you left with.” No point in being subtle, better to be blunt if she doesn’t want him telling half truths the whole time.

Seth glances over at her from the corner of his eyes, hands briefly balling into fists, then loosening back up. “I told you already, went to the corner store and ran my mouth off, turns out the asshole had some friends. You’d think I’d learn by now.” He’s grin is a smarmy thing, trying to sell a story.

She's not buying.

“Seth, you don’t honestly expect me to believe that shit of a story, do you?” there’s more exasperation in her tone than anger at being lied to, she knows he wouldn’t unless he’s trying to protect her from something. Doesn’t mean she likes it, just that she can recognize that it comes from a good place.

“You didn’t even insult the guy once, and no calling him an ass _doesn’t_ count. You call every other person an asshole.” Admittedly most of the people they met lately aren’t that great. Conman and thieves aren’t always the nicest bunch, and the people they steal from are hardly saints. There’s a reason they work better just the two of them.

He opens his mouth, but Kate's already cutting him off, “Don’t lie, Seth.”

It’s quiet for a moment. Seth gives a long sigh while running a hand through his hair. “I had to take care of something, you didn’t need to be apart of.”

She stays quiet, knowing if she can just wait him out, the silence will induce him to start talking.

It's not a long wait.

“Kate come on, you don’t want to know. It's all good now, which is what matters. I took care of it.”

He glances over, but the expression on her face is unyielding. Kate wants answers.

Seth licks his lips, turning walking over to the bed before saying, “I went back. To take care of Oliver.”

That wasn’t what she was expecting.

Drilling a hole into the back of his head with her eyes she whispers, “You _what?_ ”

“He knew how to find us Kate. That gang leader would have paid good money to find that out. After the shit show of a job, he couldn’t be trusted.”

Seth is a killer. Kate’s known this since they met, he out right told her so in the twister. Still Seth doesn’t take joy in it, normally goes out of his way to avoid it.

Unless he feels like he has to.

Kate just stares at him when he turns to face her.

Silence builds up while she figures out what to say, Seth's shifting on his feet.

Suddenly his face goes hard.

The outburst that comes is half expected, “I told you you didn’t want to know! But you just wouldn’t listen would you.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to sweetheart.” The words come out condemning.

“Seth it’s okay, I mean you did it to protect us. I get it.” her tone is soothing as she can make it.

She must not be convincing enough, he's in her face with one long stride, mouth thin with anger, he lets loose, “You have something to say princess, say it.”

Now Kate’s getting mad, she didn’t like what he did but she told him she understood. “I already TOLD you I get it.”

“What was I supposed to do huh, just let him get away with that.”

“Get away?”

“He almost KILLED YOU.” Seth all but screams the last part. Kate instinctively moves back a little, shock written all over her face.

Oh, that’s why he didn’t want her to know.

“I almost.. You almost died, because he got sloppy. Because I let him in on the job, should have found someone else. He would've ended up telling them how to find us, and I wasn’t going to lose you because of a little snitch.”

Seth’s breathing is labored, and Kate isn’t sure how to feel about the fact he killed someone for her. Hunted him down and ended him for what he caused. Kate just knows she feels overwhelming loved- and she knows that isn’t how normal people show love, but they’re not really normal- and so she awkwardly, careful of her healing wound, wraps him up in her arms. It’s a firm embrace, her hands griping his shirt. Leaning her head against his.

“Thank you.”

“ _Kate_.”

“I really did mean it’s okay.”

At that the tension she feels in his body, melts away. Bringing a hand up to caress her face.

“I almost lost you.” he whispers it like a confession.

Maybe for him it is.

“You didn’t.”

They're so close to one another at this point she could feel the way heat seems to radiate off him, so close she notices his eyes dip down to her lips. Slowly his eyes move back to her's, his other hand moves to grip her waist. With half lidded eyes he watches her, then his lips find hers. It's a hesitant, bare brush of lips, barely worthy of being called a kiss, she angles her head and kisses him back.

It must have been what he was waiting for.

He surges forward, hands snaking into her hair, deepening the kiss. Seth lets out a moan causing desire to spike through her, he kisses like he's trying drink her up.  

Like he's seeking absolution from her. She can do nothing but give it freely.

Seth pulls her over to the bed without ever letting his lips leave her. Sitting back on it, only to carefully have her straddle his lap, making his own desire apparent to her. 

When he begins kissing her neck, she grinds down on him. Kate may not have much experience but she's encouraged by the sounds he makes.

Soon he pulls her shirt over her head, unhooks her bra with ease that makes her blush. Without further delay he takes off his own shirt, then goes back to kissing her. He just seems to relish in the skin contact.

Sucking on her bottom lip, he pulls away.

"Tell me stop and I'll stop." his voice is deeper than she's ever heard it.

"Don't stop."

 A sharp grin flashes across his face.

Seth gently lifted her up when he stood from the bed, before laying her back on the edge of the mattress. Moving in for a heated kiss while his fingers hooked around her panties, pulling back to look her in the eyes Seth simultaneously pulls them -and her shorts- down off her legs while going to his knees before her.

The sight had Kate's breath catching in her throat. 

Two warm hands further part her legs, giving Seth a full view of just how wet he'd already made her. She was ready to hide her face in embarrassment when he groaned, "Is this all because of me?"

Kate could only nod in answer.

"I need to hear you say it, baby."

"All because of you Seth." she manages to say sounding breathy even to her ears.   

"Good girl." he breaths the words on to her thigh, forcing to her holding back a shiver.

He begins to press lingering open mouth kisses along the inside of her thigh, nipping at her skin once, gaining a gasp from her, while running a hand up the other. At an agonizing pace he makes his way steadily to her center. 

With no hesitance he licks a strip all the way up her slit. Causing her to cry out his name, hands moving to grasp his hair.

This seems to encourage him, because then his tongue was -oh god.

Her hips jerk with up without conscious thought. One of his arms snakes out to hold down her hips, his head pulls away to look up at her, a whine escapes her throat at that.

With an insufferable smirk he says, "We don't want to tare your stitches now do we? You'll have to try to be still for me princess." 

Kate just tries to push his head back down, getting a throaty laugh as he goes willingly.

Soon Kate is little more than moaning mess under his mouth. When he inserts a finger, then two, stretching her out, she wraps her legs around him. Trying to pull him in closer. Just a little closer. 

He's winding her up tight, but she still needs more.

Then he sucks her her clit and shes undone. She's pulsing around his fingers, "That's my girl."

When she starts coming back to her self Seth climbs up her, putting the two fingers that were just inside her in her mouth. His resulting groan is obscene.

Kate wants more of him.

But something has him jerking back and letting out a swear. Looking down she sees that some of her stitches must have torn, there's blood seeping through the bandages. 

"Shit, Kate I'm sorry."before he can move fully away she grabs his arm.

Once he's looking back at her eyes she say,"It's fine, I barely feel it. I don't want to stop."

At that he smiles but doesn't move to continue. "How about we go take a shower together instead, and see about stopping that bleeding. We have plenty of time." 

She follows him into the shower, feeling reassured that he's not going to try to brush this off later. For now she just enjoys being with him.

They have plenty of time after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about how I feel about how it all turned out. I rewrote parts but it still doesn't flow right.  
> -I realized I wasn't sure how to work around the bullet wound i gave her.. in her stomach that pretty much any physical activity would aggravate it......yeah.  
> Anyways hope u enjoyed it, I love comments.

**Author's Note:**

> Mainly fluff and set up, next chapter it gets more steamy.


End file.
